Shoe-stiffener blank.



W. B. ARNOLD.

SHOE STIFFENER BLANK.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 24, 1911.

l.76,541. Patented 001. 21, 1913.

Fig.1.

8' Waiuesses: Ilwvemiov: d %af% Wdiwmflflrwol COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH c0.,wAs|-|1NGTON. n. c.

UNIT

WILLIAM B. ARNOLD, 0F ABINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-STIFFENER BLANK.

oreen.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. 21, 1913.

Application filed October 24, 1911. Serial No. 656,364.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of r-"ibington in the county of Plymouth and State of ltilassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Shoe-Stiflener Blanks, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to shoe stiffener blanks.

In order that the principle of the inven tion may be clearly understood, I have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein- I Figure l, in perspective, shows a sheet of leather or other suitable material, from which the stiffeners are to be formed, this figure indicating certain of the lines along which the material is severed or slit; Fig. 2, also in perspective, shows one of the strips formed by slitting or cutting as indicated in Fig. 1, and indicating the transverse lines along which the strip is severed to further reduce the material to blank form; Figs. 3, l, 5 and 6 are views illustrating various steps in the production of the completed stiffener, in the present instance a box toe, from one of the blanks obtained by cutting as in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line (S -6 of Fig. 6; Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10, are similar views, where the stilfener to be formed in a heel counter; Fig. 10 is a vertical section on the line w r-10 of Fig. 10; Fig. 11, a perspective view of a complete stiiIener, molded to shape, before introduction into the shoe.

In the particular embodiment of my invention selected for illustration herein, referring first to Fig. 1, I have shown a sheet, preferably though not necessarily of leather, and which ordinarily may be a side of sole leather roughly trimmed, but here shown as truly rectangular for convenience and clearness of illustration.

In accordance with my invention, I first slit this sheet along longitudinal and preferably parallel lines, the slits being in each case beveled. For the most economical manufacture these bevels should be alternately in opposite directions, so that the strips formed thereby will have their opposite edges oppositely beveled, the strips themselves presenting a greater width at one than at the opposite face. To be sure, the

strips so formed present the grain face alternately at the narrow' and at the wide faces, but this is not of material concern where the greatest economy of stock is desired. The strips formed by the longitudinal slitting are then (see Fig. 2) transversely severed, or substantially so, by cutting or slitting along preferably parallel lines 22, which are also beveled or inclined and, as shown, preferably similarly beveled so that the blanks 3 formed thereby are nested, so to speak, one overlapping the other.

Referring now to Fig. 3, which shows one of the blanks in plan view, it will be observed that the same at one, for example the top, face presents a straight bevel l, with end bevels 55, while at the opposite face, along the edge opposite the bevel 4, the said blank presents a bevel 6. By varying the pitch of the slitting knife the width of the various bevels may obviously be varied as desired, according to the particular article which it is desired shall be made from the blank. The blank 3, beveled as in Fig. 3, is then died out to shape, as in Fig. 4, to form in the present instance a box toe, the shape of which may be varied as desired but which is herein shown as of customary shape.

It will be observed that the box cut out as in Fig. 4: presents along its bottom edge, which is the edge having the greatest length, a straight bevel, which is the bevel 4 of the blank shown in Fig. 3. It also presents at its two sides straight bevels 5 5, which are the correspondingly numbered bevels of the blank, Fig. 3, and at its upper edge and opposite face presents another straight bevel, which is the bevel 6 of the blank 3, so that for the first time in the art, so far as I am aware, I form a stiffener or a stiffener blank having an irregular or partially curved, desired outline with its edges, however, beveled along rectilinear lines which are preferably perpendicular one to the other.

Where the bevels 4:, 5 and 6 are of su'llicient width the completed box or stiffener may he died out or cut from the blank and used without further beveling upon the skiving or other machine as is now required. Should it be desired, however, to reduce the prominence provided by the additional thickness at the points 7-7 which, by reason of the curved outline of the stiffener, are brought nearer to the periphery thereof than where the bevel reaches in to a greater degree, such prominence maybe reduced by compression, which conveniently may be the compression ordinarily employed in shaping the stiffener either roughly or exactly to final shape, as illustrated in Fig. 11. In. this case, a stiffener would be provided in which the thinned or beveled edges would be in part out and in part compressed.

Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive, illustrate the corresponding steps in the formation of a heel counter, and in Fig. 11 the lower an'dij thinned edges of the stiffener are shown as j inturned, to form the usual stiffener seat:

It Will'be' observed that practically no stock whatsoever is wasted in the production of stiffeners in the manner herein provided for. The only waste that exists is that due to the change in outline of the; stiffener from the blank shown in Fig. 8, but it will be noticed that even the blank; is approximately shaped like the completed; article, its lower edge being straight andi presenting right-angled corners and its upper edge having its corners clipped at 8'8 3 sotha-t the waste here is reduced to a minimum and, because the waste at these points f' is of the thinned or' beveled stock, is still; further reduced. i My invention permits ordinarily more; than ninety per cent. of the original stock or blank to be actually utilized in the comj plete'd articles therefroin-and the result is? that a quality of stock may be used to thei improvement of the article in which it is? incorporated at the same or less cost as compared with stifieners made in accordance with the prevailing methods. s 1 I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to form shank pieces for boots and l shoes from a short piece of leather -by cuti ting the latter along sinuous lines into? strips, which are severed into shank pieces 5 by transverse beveled cuts. I do not herein claim such subject-matter, my invention relat-ing solely to blanks for shoe stiffeners employed as abox toe or a heel counter.-

oreen Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters'Pat-v 'en't is- 1; Ashoe stiffener blank from which the shoe stifiener may be died out without substantial loss of stock, said stiffener having three straight, beveled cut edges'at one face of the blank a fourth beveled cut edge at the opposite face, said blank having cut away corners at the ends of said fourth beve'l'e'd cut edge and being otherwise substantially rectangular.-

2. A shoe stiffener blank from which the shoe stiffener may be died out without substantial loss of stock, said stiffener being of general rectangular form and having three beveled cut edges atone face meeting at rectangular 'corners and a fourth beveled cut edge at the opposite face; r

3. A shoe stiffener blank from which the shoe stiffener may be died out without substantial loss of stock, said 'stiii'ener having at one face a beveled bottom and two beve'led. side edges meeting at substantially rectangu-larcorner's and at its opposite face'a beveled top having at its ends :outaway 'c'or- 11ers merging into said beveled side edges, the amount of stock removed to form said 'cut away Jcorners substantially corresponding to the amount of stock at the lower corners of the blank to produce said rectan- .gnlar'corners; i

4; A- sho e stiffener blank from whi'chth'e shoe stiffener may be "died out without substanti'al loss of stock, said stiffener having four, straight, beveled cut edges, three of said beveled edges being at one face of the blank and the fourth edge being on'the op- :p'osite face. 7

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification; in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM B. narrow.

Witnesses:

Anion Pownns, M. ALICE NASH.

copies or this fiatexit may be obtained raises cents eaa, b'y addressee his assassins? tr raises,

wahingtoi ilbfi. 

